Open Road

Joe Bendel

Joe Bendel
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Based in New York, Joe Bendel has reviewed film, television, music, and theater for nineteen years, in print and online. In addition to his site, J.B. Spins, he frequently contributes reviews to The Epoch Times, specializing in mystery/thriller series, documentaries, and Asian cinema. As a critic he has attended in-person international film festivals, including Sundance, Slamdance, Fantasia, and the New York Film Festival, as officially accredited press. He has also written for Nightfire, Libertas Film Magazine, and Signal to Noise (the dearly departed experimental music print magazine). He has over twenty-five years of experience in the book publishing industry and has taught film and music survey courses at NYU’s School of Continuing Studies. Bendel also coordinated the Jazz Foundation of America’s instrument donation drive for musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University and the University of Denver Publishing Institute.
Based in New York, Joe Bendel has reviewed film, television, music, and theater for nineteen years, in print and online. In addition to his site, J.B. Spins, he frequently contributes reviews to The Epoch Times, specializing in mystery/thriller series, documentaries, and Asian cinema. As a critic he has attended in-person international film festivals, including Sundance, Slamdance, Fantasia, and the New York Film Festival, as officially accredited press. He has also written for Nightfire, Libertas Film Magazine, and Signal to Noise (the dearly departed experimental music print magazine). He has over twenty-five years of experience in the book publishing industry and has taught film and music survey courses at NYU’s School of Continuing Studies. Bendel also coordinated the Jazz Foundation of America’s instrument donation drive for musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina. He is a graduate of Wittenberg University and the University of Denver Publishing Institute.

“Murderbot” : The Character Consistently Hits the Right, Snarky Note

©Courtesy of Apple TV + He is a sarcastic robot, much like the ‘bots on MST3K. However, he is much more forgiving of cheesy videos. (Cheesy people? Far less so). All he really wants is to be left alone to watch his soapy space serials. However, he must interact with people, whether he likes it…

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—The Movie: Mugen Train Review

@Courtesy of Crunchyroll  It was the #1 global box-office champion the year it first released in Japan, beating out Will Smith and Sonic the Hedgehog. Admittedly, that was 2020, a difficult year, but over $500 million still represents some serious ticket sales. Nevertheless, many fans never had the opportunity to see the Demon Slayer franchise’s…

“Bullet Train Explosion” : The Film Represents Kusanagi’s Best Starring Vehicle Yet

©Courtesy of Netflix  It released in 1975, the year after “The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3“, but it directly inspired Jan de Bont’s Speed (with Kanu Reeves, of course). Now, the Japanese transit disaster-thriller “Bullet Train“ has been remade, but in a way that clearly pays tribute to the original. Once again, there is a bomb…

‘Sherlock & Daughter’ : It Should Satisfy the Fanbase, Makes This CW’s Oldest Skewing Series Yet

©Courtesy of CW Sherlock Holmes only had one canonical relative in Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories, his older brother Mycroft, a late Victorian deep-state power broker. However, subsequent writers and filmmakers keep adding siblings, like his teen sister Enola and his “smarter” younger brother Sigerson (played by Gene Wilder). Frankly, the prickly detective never showed…

“Your Friends & Neighbors” Review : A Compelling & Darkly Comic One-Darned-Thing-After-Another Chaos

©Courtesy of Apple TV It is hard to switch careers at Andrew Cooper’s age. In his case, it is especially difficult, because his boss engineered a humiliating scandal to justify firing him. However, Gen X’ers usually have the resourcefulness to find a way. Admittedly, Cooper makes some extraordinarily bad decisions when he resorts to high-end…

New York International Children’s Film Festival : Michel Gondry’s Maya, Give Me a Title Review

©Courtesy of NYICFF So far, Michel Gondry has only released about a dozen features, but his prolific filmography includes dozens of short films and music videos. Unfortunately, we may never have a chance to see his Pharell Williams musical Golden, which was reportedly cancelled due to a creative impasse. Instead, we finally get to enjoy…

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuux -Beginning-Review

©Courtesy of GKIDS  Inspired by Manfred von Richthofen, “The Red Baron,” Char Aznable is a fan-favorite villain in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, whose popularity eclipses many of its heroes. Somewhat fittingly, Aznable, a.k.a. the “Red Comet” will finally have his day—sort of—in Kazuya Tsurumaki’s new anime feature, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuux -Beginning-, the launch…

“The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep” Displays a Keen Understanding of Its Source Material and an Affinity for Its Fans

©Courtesy of Netflix  Much like Philadelphia has its Rocky Balboa statue, the Polish city of Lodz features an enormous 2,000 square meter mural of Geralt of Rivia, the monster-fighter-for-hire also known as “The Witcher.” First Andrzej Sapkowski’s stories were adapted as a Polish film and TV series. Then, Netflix produced an English language series, starring…

One Night in Tokyo Might Be Predictable, But It Is Appealingly Stylish

©Kitsune Pictures  If you are visiting Tokyo, you really should allow yourself more than twenty-hours and change to see the sights. However, finding a local to show you the city definitely helps. Sam did not originally plan his trip in such a way, but complications cut it short, just before a friend-of-a-friend agrees to serve…

“Attack on Titan: The Last Attack” Provides Many Fan-Favorites with the Fitting Warrior’s Send-Offs They Deserve

©Courtesy of Crunchyroll Hajime Isayama’s bestselling manga franchise sold over 140 million copies during its original run, spawning 94 episodes of a long-running anime adaptation, as well as two live action films and a theatrical stage-musical. Eventually, all good things come to an end. Unfortunately, that might include humanity. After initially swearing vengeance against the…